Arch-support



S. DARLING-- ARCH SUPPORT.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 15, 191.9

Patented July '13, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

S. DARLING.

ARCH SUPPORT.

APPLICATION nuzn JULY 15,1919.

Patented July 13, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

SAMUEL DARLING, r WAUP-UN, WISCONSIN.

AB-CH-SUPPORT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented; July 13, 1 920.

Application filed July 15, 1919. Serial No. 310,896.

To all whom it mayoonccrnr Be it known that L-SAMUEL DARLING, a citizenof the United States, residing at l'Vaupun, in the county of Fond du Lacand State of lVisconsin, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Arch-Supports; and I do hereby declare the following tobe a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as willenable others skilled in the art to which it appe'rtains' to make anduse the same. i

The present invention relates to improvements in arch supports, and itis an object of the present invention to provide an improved archsupport built up insuch a manner that it can be added to or its partsdiminished in order that it may meet the needs of each particular-footand to accommodate it to any changes that may occur during the treatmentof the same foot.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an improvedarch support in combination with a cushioned heel piece which givesincreased flexibility to the device, thus accommodating the support tothe arch of the foot more comfortably; and this heel' piece also furtherassists in keeping the arch support in the proper place, as the weightof the heel onsuch cushioned piece will have the effect to anchor thesupport in place.

A further object of the present invention resides in providing animprovedsupport that will be of improved flexibility, and theflexibility of which may be either increased or lessened by the use ofmore or less standard parts.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this application, and inwhich similar reference symbols indicate corresponding parts in theseveral views:

F igure'l is a perspective view of an improved arch support constructedin accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof with parts broken away to show theinterior of the support.

Fig. 3 isalongitudinal sectional view through the improved support.

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view through same; and i Referring nowmore particularly to the drawings, the improved arch support ispreferably formed after the fashion indicated generally in Figs. 1 and2, and is adapted to fit within a shoe and to receive the arch of thefoot and support such arch while the shoe is worn. The support is merelyplaced in the shoes so that it is removable at any time for thepurposeof alternig the size of the support in themanner hereinafter described.

As shown in Fig. 1, the arch support proper is indicated at 1, and 2 and31 designate side flaps projecting from the lateral edges of'the supportl and arranged to be bent up about the sides of the central portion ofthe foot so that the support conforms substantially to the curvatureofthe foot and is in contact with the arch of the foot throughout inorder to sustain it at all points. i

At the rear end, the arch support 1 is connected to a heel piece 4 whichis adapted to lie, when the support is placed within a shoe, at the heelportion of the shoe, inorder that the heel of the wearer may rest uponthis heel piece 4. The weight of the wearer restingon the heel piece lwill serve to effectually anchor the arch support in place and preventits accidental displacement from the correct position in the shoe, as itis only in such positionthat correction of the feet may be had.

The improved support, broadly speaking, is built up of longitudinallyand transversely arranged springs mounted in pool:- ets carried by abody portion which is preferably made up of a series of layers ofleatheror other suitable material.

As shown more particularly 111 Figs. 3 and 4, 5 deslgnates the baselayer of leather which rests upon the bottom lining of the shoe, 6represents an intermediate layer, and

7 a top-layer or facing upon the uppersurface on which the foot isadapted to rest. These layers or laminations 5, 6 and 7 are extendedlaterally to form the side flaps 2 and 3, and rearwardly to form theheel piece 4, and, as shown in Fig. 3, there is interposed a pad ofrubber or other resilient material 8 between the layers and 6 within theheel piece 4. This rubber pad S acts as a cushion yielding increasedflexibility,

thus accommodating the support to the arch of the foot more comfortably.

As shown in Fig. l, longitudinal lines of stitching 9 are made throughthe layers 5 and 6 at spaced intervals, in order to provide pockets 10between such lines of stitching 9 and between the layers 5 and. 6. Thesepockets are provided to receive longitudinal springs or strips ofresilient metal 11, which,

have their ends resting upon metallic or i 7 other plates 12 and 13,likewise laid in pockets 14: and 15 formed at the forward andrearportions of the arch support and made, in this instance, bydepressing the 7 lower layer 5 in the manner shown in Fig.

. 3. These pockets 1 1 and 15 extend trans-- versely of the archsupport, and the manner in which the longitudinal springs 11restthe'reon is clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

A line of'stitching 16 is made between the heel piece 4 and the pocket14:, and this line of stitching also extends'through the upper layer 7as clearly shown. Furthermore, the heel piece is stitched, as indicatedat 17, about its rear and lateral edges, this line of stitching 17passing through the lower and upper layers 5 and 7 only, as appears inFig. 3. The stitching 17 closes the heel piece and confines the cushion8 therein.

In a similar manner the intermediate.

. their opposite ends where they enter the flaps 2 and 3, such bent endsserving to hold the flaps in the proper positions. A line of stitching21, passes about ;the arch support in order to secure the layerstogether in any suitable manner, but this stitching may be omitted alongone side and the front of'the arch support in order to leave the ends ofthe pockets 10 and 19 open for receiving and withdrawing the springs .11and 20 therefrom. One of these springs is shown in Fig. 5, the preferredform being a flat bar or resilient metal having the rounded ends 22 and23 to facilitate insertion. into the mouths of the pockets and topresent a smooth finish inorder not to cut the leather. Y r r In use,the device is assembled in the manner shown in Figs. 1 to. 4:, and theassembled device presents the appearance indicated in Fig. 1, where thecomplete device is shown ready to be inserted within the shoe. Thedevice shown in Fig. 1 is in tended for the right foot, and the enlargedflap 2 held in place by the bent ends of the transverse springs 20arranged to embrace the instep of the foot While the flap 3 projectsonly slightly to brace the outer side of transverse and longitudinalsprings may be withdrawn while others remam, and the device used inthiscondition. In other words, the springs may be added toor diminishedto meet the requirements of each individual foot. Thecross springs areso constructed that they also bracethe arch of the foot from the side asWell as the bottom. Of course the device may be added'to by increasingthe number of layers of leather used, and stitching thesame in themanner already:shown,to1 prowide additional pockets for further seriesof springs.

In Fig. 6, a main spring 5O is provided withclips- 31 and 32 to hold oneor more auxiliary springs 33. This structure forms alaminated springuseful in place of the flat springs 11, and the flexibility of which maybe varied by increasing or decreasing the number of the auxiliarysprings 33.

It is obvious that those skilled in the art may vary the details ofconstruction and arrangements of parts without departing from the spiritof my invention, and thereforeI do not wish to be limited tosuch-features except as may be required by the claims. 7 7

I claim: a

1. An improved arch support including a body portion composed of threelayers of suitable material, the upper and intermediate layer havingtransverse pockets formed therebetween, fiat springs removably fitted insaid transverse pockets, longitudinal pocketsformed between said lowerand intermediate layers, flat springs removably fitted. in saidlongitudinal pockets, means for supporting the ends of said longitudinalsprings, and side flaps on said body portion into which the transversesprings extend, substantially as described.

2. 'An' improved arch support including a body portion and a heelextension both made up of three layers of suitable matelayers andadapted to support the ends of rial, longitudinal and transverse pocketssaid longitudinal springs, and a resilient formed respectively betweenthe lower and pad placed between the lower and intermedi- 10intermediate and'the upper and intermediate layers in the heel piece,substantially ate layers on the body portion, flat springs as described.

removably placed in said pockets plates lying between said lower andintermediate SAMUEL DARLING.

